(Updated at 7:20 p.m.) Local coffee shop Commonwealth Joe is encouraging Arlingtonians to explore businesses in Crystal City and Pentagon City with special “passports.”
The program will run for a week, from today (August 7) until Sunday, August 13. People can stop by Commonwealth Joe (520 12th Street S.) and pick up their own passport, or they can get a team passport for up to three people.
Once passports are claimed, the goal is to visit all of the participating businesses to get the passports stamped.
Once the passports have all of the necessary stamps, participants turn their passports into Commonwealth Joe, where each team that completes the challenge within the week will get a free drink.
In addition, there will be prizes for the first three teams to get all of the stamps. These grand prizes include day passes from Earth Treks, free Sweetgreen salads, WeWork merchandise and more.
A spokeswoman for Commonwealth Joe said they started this event to help build relationships with other local businesses and to help people explore the neighborhood.
A crash and an overturned car left the eastbound lanes blocked on Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City on Thursday morning.
The accident happened around 7:30 a.m. August 3 near the Macy’s department store at Army Navy Drive’s intersection with S. Hayes Street. It left a black car on its side at the scene.
Police closed all lanes going east, while a photo from a reader shows a long line of cars stopped trying to get onto Army Navy Drive from I-395.
According to scanner traffic, the car was back “on all fours” just before 8:20 a.m. Police reopened the eastbound lanes just before 8:30 a.m.
That section of Army Navy Drive is a busy one in the mornings, as it connects to I-395 and takes hundreds of cars to and from the nearby Pentagon.
Photos No. 1 and 2 by David and Elizabeth Lacey. Photo No. 3 by Heather Carroll.
Pentagon City Wine Merchant appears set to move into Pentagon City
The store at 1330 S. Fair Street will sell beer and wine according to an application
It may replace the Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt store, next door to Epic Smokehouse
The Millennium at Metropolitan Park apartment building (via Google Maps)
A new wine store and gourmet shop is coming to Pentagon City, according to a Virginia ABC application.
The store, called Pentagon City Wine Merchant in the application, would be located at 1330 S. Fair Street, near The Millennium at Metropolitan Park apartment building and across from Costco.
It may replace the Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt store, which closed in 2015 and had gone unfilled until now. The new store will also be next door to the Epic Smokehouse, an upscale barbecue restaurant that opened in 2012.
As of Tuesday, August 1, no building permit applications had been filed with the county.
Calls to the phone number associated with the ABC application went unreturned.
In addition to facing competition from the Costco across the street, the store will also compete with the Whole Foods store a block away.
Roti is located on the ground floor of the Met Arcadia apartment building, between a Starbucks and an Orangetheory Fitness. It opened at 11 a.m. today (Friday), and will be open 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sundays.
Staff marked the occasion with balloons and various other decorations, and before 11 a.m. were doing final cleaning tasks ahead of opening the doors.
The fast casual restaurant serves wraps, rite plates and salads, with a variety of protein, topping and sauce options. It focuses on “Food That Loves You Back,” touting high-quality, healthy ingredients. It also offers an option to “try a little of everything,” allowing diners to pick as many sides as they want.
The restaurant is headquartered in Chicago and has other locations around the country, including in Rosslyn (1501 Wilson Blvd), its only other in Arlington.
More from Roti’s press release:
Rōti Modern Mediterranean is excited to announce the opening its newest location in the DC area, in Pentagon City, which opens today. This past January, Roti updated their menu to include a “try a little of everything” approach to entrees, giving customers the option to add as many sides and toppings as they’d like. This past Spring, Spicy Lamb Meatballs were added to the menu at all locations. Packed with flavor and spice, the meatballs are prepared using red quinoa, Sriracha sauce, mint, parsley, red chili, and other spices. This new offering is gluten-free and a great source of protein.
To reinforce their mission of Food That Loves You Back, Roti’s space includes enhanced food presentation, new interior design features, and a hand drawn food story mural scaling the length of the dining room. There is also additional communal seating to accommodate larger lunch and dinner groups.
The virtual reality showing a person in charge of stir-fry.
The virtual reality teaching trainees to make perfect noodles.
The virtual reality explaining what it means to have stellar customer service.
The virtual reality explaining a cashier’s job.
The video showing a cashier as she ensures the dishes are clean.
The video timing somebody as he makes a salad.
The video demonstrating someone asking if customers need anything.
The video showing the salad-maker carefully ensure that each ingredient is added to the salad.
The interactive game in the refrigerator.
The Pentagon City location of Honeygrow.
Honeygrow, a healthy fast-casual eatery that serves custom salads and stir-fry dishes, has started to incorporate virtual reality when training its new employees in Arlington.
“The company is expanding so much but we still want to keep our core values,” said a spokeswoman for Honeygrow, which opened its Pentagon City mall location in 2016.
Honeygrow uses virtual reality for training to ensure that each new employee learns the company’s core values, which can be left in the dust once businesses undergo rapid expansion. Honeygrow’s first location opened in 2012 in Philadelphia but the company has grown so quickly that by the end of 2017, Honeygrow will have expanded to approximately 25 stores, spanning from Boston to Chicago and as far south as Pentagon City, which is one of two locations in the D.C. area
“This [virtual reality] has enabled us to be able to consistently train everybody,” said Brennagh Tourigney, a district manager for Honeygrow.
The virtual reality program was launched in May 2017. Honeygrow’s founder and CEO, Justin Rosenberg, was inspired to use virtual reality at his company when he received a cardboard virtual reality with his Sunday New York Times.
“It engages the team members,” said Tourigney. “This kind of keeps people excited, it sets us apart from our competitors.”
The virtual reality training does not replace hands-on training, but is an additional component. On orientation day, new workers are given the goggles and taken on a tour of a typical Honeygrow restaurant.
The video teaches trainees what the different roles of the workers are: they watch somebody make a salad, they observe a “noodler” carefully prepare noodles so they are a Goldilocks-approved “just right” — not too hard or too soft — and they see how cashiers ensure each order was correctly made. The video even has an interactive part when the goggles take trainees into the Honeygrow refrigerator.
Trainees are taught how to place food in the refrigerator, as foods served raw always go on the top. They must then use a clicker to place the different meats in correct order on the shelves and cannot go on to the next part of the video until they put fish on the top shelf, then beef, then pork and finally, chicken on the bottom shelf.
“I’ve never been in a working kitchen before, but I understand it is a very tough environment so this is a great way to assimilate new hires into a fast-paced kitchen environment, where a million things are going on at once,” said the spokeswoman.
The video was filmed in Honeygrow’s Cherry Hill location in New Jersey. Not a single person featured in the video was an actor, but were employees. Rosenberg introduces the video and gives closing remarks at the end.
“Because it’s led by our CEO and founder, it’s a great way to bring people into the community. You really feel like you’re part of the Honeygrow family from the minute you start,” said the spokeswoman.
The race this year is taking place on Saturday, September 9. Registration is $40 and is open to teams and individuals.
The 5K was founded by three Arlington police officers: retired Capt. Matt Smith, Detective Dan Borriello and Sgt. Sean Bryson. All of the officers worked as first responders at the Pentagon after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
After the attacks, the group was inspired by other police 5Ks that they had participated in and decided to start their own race.
“We started with mailing applications and sending letters to the police and fire chiefs,” said Bryson. “We really got a following.”
The race is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree hotel (300 Army Navy Drive) in Pentagon City. The race route follows Army Navy Drive, S. Joyce Street, Washington Blvd, looping around the Pentagon on Route 110 before returning to the DoubleTree, where there’s an after party featuring food and drink.
‘Meeting Bowls’ Coming to Courthouse — A new, temporary public art installation is coming to Courthouse. Workers will be building 5-foot high “meeting bowls,” designed by the Spanish art collective “mmmm….,” and featuring an 8-foot long circular bench inside. The bowls, which are meant to be used by passersby, are expected to be completed by Monday, July 17 and will remain in place until November. [Washingtonian]
Roosevelt Island Back Open — Roosevelt Island is open again after being temporarily closed by the National Park Service for the removal of diseased trees. [DCist]
Pentagon City Residents Peeved by Shopping Carts — Legions of stray shopping carts are getting on the nerves of Pentagon City residents, NBC 4’s Julie Carey reported during a news broadcast last night. [NBC Washington, Twitter]
Scholarships Awarded to Wakefield Students — “The Wakefield High School Education Foundation recently awarded 27 scholarships totaling $201,000, bringing the total number of scholarships presented over the history of the foundation to 400 and the total dollar amount of scholarships and teacher grants to more than $2.25 million.” [InsideNova]
Local Author Pens New Thriller — Arlington resident Bill Schweigart, author of the Beast of Barcroft, a supernatural thriller set in Arlington, has penned another book of local interest: The Devil’s Colony, which features a fictional Arlington resident as its main character. [Penguin Random House]
Nearby: Montgomery Co. Consider Plane Noise Suit — Montgomery County, Maryland has hired a law firm to explore legal action against the Federal Aviation Administration in response to new flight paths that have produced a dramatic increase in aircraft noise complaints. The flight paths were implemented in 2015 as part of the FAA’s NextGen system and have prompted some complaints in Arlington and D.C. as well. [Bethesda Beat]
Jake Keough is back behind the wheel after health issues (courtesy photo)
Ryan DeWald leads the way in a spring finish (courtesy photo)
Team Skyline will race at the Armed Forces Cycling Classic this weekend (courtesy photo)
Keough (far right) is a three-time winner of the Crystal Cup (courtesy photo)
The 20th Armed Forces Cycling Classic will take place in Arlington this weekend, and one of its former champions is set to get back in the saddle.
Jake Keough, a three-time winner of the Crystal Cup race, will be cycling in it for the first time since he was forced into retirement three years ago due to an irregular heartbeat.
“After being a professional for 10-plus years, I began to have heart arrhythmias…I had major complications,” Keough wrote in an email.
Keough will be cycling with Team Skyline, run by the acclaimed bicyclist Ryan DeWald. DeWald, like Keough, suffers from another chronic medical condition: Type 1 diabetes. Both were diagnosed in 2014 and took time away.
“I got thin. I got sick. I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” DeWald said. “I missed one weekend of racing then I got back on my bike, I got on insulin, I re-sorted out how to race my bike on insulin. I worked with some of the best doctors in the world.”
When DeWald re-entered the cycling realm after his brief hiatus, he made an immediate impact. In 2015, he was ranked third nationally as a Category One rider, out of 1,475 cyclists.
Despite that impressive statistic, DeWald remembers when everybody told him to stop biking. He refused to take their advice.
“I had nothing to lose so I just kept racing the bike. Now, I’m turning more into an inspirational athlete with dynamic speaking skills,” DeWald said.
He hopes to eventually transfer out of bike racing and take on more leadership roles.
DeWald started the foundation, Winning the Race with Diabetes, to help people manage Type 1 diabetes while also engaging in athletic lifestyles. In addition to running Team Skyline, he runs a team bike shop in Reading, Penn.
While DeWald was getting back on his bike, Keough underwent cardiac ablation surgery. The procedure caused him to go into cardiac arrest.
“I was told by the best sports cardiologists in the world that I could never be an athlete again and that I should live a sedentary life,” Keough wrote.
Yet, Keough persisted. He takes medication to keep his heart rate low and has a sprinter plate on his chest.
“I’m back racing on my own terms and trying not to let my health issues dictate how I live my life,” Keough wrote.
“I think he’s taking his life into his own hands every time he sprints…I think he’s a few steps away from winning a big one,” DeWald said of his teammate. And after years apart, the men rekindled their friendship via social media this past winter.
“He was telling me about what happened to him, he asked me about my condition and we started comparing notes,” DeWald said.
Shortly thereafter, Keough joined DeWald’s team. Team Skyline rides about 15,000 miles per year and races 50-60 events annually.
This weekend’s race will not be Keough’s first since leaving retirement. However, he remains surprised by his recent success.
“I didn’t really plan on making a comeback. But, after racing Speed Week this spring and finishing fifth at Athens Twilight and fourth overall, I realized I could still be a factor at the top level of the sport I love,” Keough wrote.
Skyline is hopeful for this weekend. Keough’s youngest brother, Luke Keough, will also be participating this weekend, on a different team.
“Obviously, as a former winner, the goal is to get back to the top step. But, more importantly, it’s to have a blast,” Keough wrote.
“We’re going to try to win,” DeWald said. “Jake has just got to beat his brother [in the race]. How hard can it be to beat your younger brother?”
The Armed Forces Cycling Classic consists of two days of races: the Clarendon Cup on Saturday, in Clarendon, and the Crystal Cup and non-competitive Challenge Ride on Sunday, in Crystal City. The pro-am races, along with corresponding kids races and the Challenge Ride, are open to spectators.
Sugar Factory is now open at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (photo via Joy Asico)
Sugar Factory at Pentagon City
The restaurant includes an attached retail section selling candy (photo via Joy Asico)
Burgers make up a dinner menu filled with staples and new food items (photo by Joy Asico)
The grab-and-go candy store (photo via Joy Asico)
Weekend brunch is available, while the retail opens at 10 a.m. (photo by Joy Asico)
Items on the outdoor host stand at Sugar Factory
Included on the drinks menu are numerous cocktails, influenced by candy (photo by Joy Asico)
The outdoor seating at Sugar Factory
Sugar Factory opens each day at 11 a.m. at 1101 S. Hayes Street
A new restaurant and candy shop is open at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.
Sugar Factory American Brasserie offers an extensive lunch, dinner and weekend brunch menu, and also has a grab-and-go bulk candy store, an ice cream and coffee shop and outdoor seating by the sidewalk at 1100 S. Hayes Street.
The restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with retail opening at 10 a.m. On Friday and Saturday, dining is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., with retail opening at 10 a.m. Weekend brunch will also be available.
A seven-page dessert menu includes traditional favorites as well as the King Kong Sundae, which can serve up to 12 guests with 24 scoops of ice cream adorned with various decorations, sauces, fruits and candy, all topped with giant rainbow lollipops and sparklers.
From a press release:
Arlington, VA (May 26, 2017) — Famed eatery and candy shop, Sugar Factory American Brasserie, opens its first location in Northern Virginia in Pentagon City (1100 Hayes Street, Arlington, VA), bringing the internationally-renowned celebrity sweets and signature treats it’s known for to the Washington, D.C. metro area.
The 5,500-square foot Sugar Factory restaurant and retail store is adjacent to the bustling Fashion Centre at Pentagon City Mall, housing a brasserie-style dining room with vibrant, whimsical decor that seats up to 200 guests. The family-friendly location also features a grab-and-go bulk candy store, an ice cream and coffee shop and outdoor sidewalk seating.
The diverse food menu, curated by a team of world-class chefs, includes a tasty selection of lunch, dinner and weekend brunch originals and classics such as red velvet pancakes, sweet and savory crepes, specialty Monster Burgers and sliders, entree salads, pasta dishes and innovative pizzas. Foodie favorites like the Fried Macaroni & Cheese Pops, Chinese Chicken Salad and the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich — made with buttermilk-battered Buffalo chicken breast, shredded lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes and celery aioli, served on a brioche bun — offer something for every occasion, from birthday parties to bachelorette bashes.
Sugar Factory’s legendary dessert menu includes the famously colossal King Kong Sundae, designed to serve up to 12 guests with 24 scoops of ice cream adorned with sprinkles, caramel, strawberry & fudge sauce, toasted marshmallows, Reese’s Pieces, chocolate chip cookies, crushed waffle cones, gummy bears, white chocolate strawberry shavings, sliced bananas, toasted walnuts and whipped cream, all topped with giant rainbow lollipops and sparklers.
But the sweets don’t stop there! Guests will find seven pages worth of dessert options on the extensive Sugar Factory Pentagon City menu, like traditional and frozen hot chocolate, old-fashioned ice cream sundaes, gourmet ice cream sandwiches, chocolate fondue, cheesecakes, pies and cakes. Plus, there are 18 original decadent shakes to try, including eight signature Insane Milkshakes like the best-selling Bacon Cheeseburger Milkshake, made with strawberry ice cream and topped with candied bacon, pretzels, M&Ms and a cheeseburger slider.
The brand’s selection of celebrated premium cocktails mix sweet treats with spiked adult beverages, including the signature 36-ounce alcohol-infused, smoking candy goblets like the White Gummi, a mix of Cruzan peach and raspberry rums garnished with gummy worms. Sugar Factory’s martini selections include candy inspired treats like the Sour Apple Lolly Martini, finished off with a Pop Rocks rim.
Sugar Factory’s menu and playful, over-the-top ambiance add a touch of sweetness to Pentagon City, where fans can get their hands on the brand’s world-famous Couture Pops in every flavor and color, including blinged-out designs by Kendall and Kylie Jenner. The Pentagon City space also showcases glam photos of Sugar Factory’s other A-list celeb fans, such as Rihanna, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian West, Drake and many more.
Sugar Factory Pentagon City will be open daily for lunch and dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11am to 11pm (retail opens at 10am) and Friday & Saturday, 11am to 1am (retail opens at 10am). Weekend brunch will also be available on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations and group bookings are available by calling 703.258.3374 or by visiting OpenTable, https://www.opentable.com/r/sugar-factory-pentagon-mall-arlington.
“Sugar Factory is all about celebrating the sweetest moments in life, so we combine a fun, unforgettable dining experience for any age with an elevated twist on classic American and French dishes,” says Charissa Davidovici, Founder of Sugar Factory American Brasserie. “From our Insane Milkshakes to our Monster Burgers to our endless candy options, we are all about treasuring family fun, having a ball and savoring every memory. We are looking forward to our grand opening event and welcoming the community to our space.”
Police temporarily closed roads near the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City this afternoon after a Metrobus collided with a tour bus on S. Hayes Street.
The Metrobus’ front windshield was smashed by the collision just after 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of S. Hayes Street and 15th Street S., while the tour bus had some damage near its back right tire.
One driver complained of neck pain after the crash, according to scanner traffic. There were no other injuries, and both buses were empty.
Police directed traffic around the incident but did not close any additional lanes, with the Metrobus blocking 15th Street S. for a time until it moved out of the roadway under its own steam. Some debris was left near the scene after the accident, but was cleared by officers.
Officers reopened 15th Street S. by 1:30 p.m., with the Metrobus moved out of the intersection into the right-hand southbound lane of S. Hayes Street. Traffic could get by in the other lanes.
The center at 735 18th Street S. near Pentagon City will be open once again on May 15 for senior activities and community events, including meetings of the Aurora Highlands Civic Association.
At an open house Thursday, community members could take a look around the revamped space. The main meeting room has had a new floor and ceiling installed and new audio-visual equipment added as well as some extra storage.
A breakout room to host fitness classes and other smaller activities has had similar treatment, while the center’s kitchen has new appliances and the front desk has been moved.
The project is part of a $555,000 rehab of the community center and adjoining library, approved last year by the County Board.
The library’s renovations have already been completed. A report by county staff, presented to the County Board as it was considering the upgrades, hinted that the entire building eventually may be torn down to make way for a new elementary school.
(Updated at 7:20 p.m.) Local coffee shop Commonwealth Joe is encouraging Arlingtonians to explore businesses in Crystal City and Pentagon City with special “passports.”
Once the passports have all of the necessary stamps, participants turn their passports into Commonwealth Joe, where each team that completes the challenge within the week will get a free drink.
